Union Perspectives

In 1869 to 1877, we had Grantism. In 2017, we have Trumpism. The corporatization of Grantism were Black Friday in 1869, the gold speculation ring of corruption in the departments of the Navy, Justice, war, Treasury, Interior, states and U.S. Postal Service. Does this sound like Trumpism? Also, nepotism was rampant with more than 40 family members getting government appointments. Does this sound like Trumpism? Many of Grant’s cabinet members were in continual transition and were of low standard. Trump’s cabinet members are mostly billionaires or very rich and are all white, mostly men. Grants private secretary, Orville E. Babcock, was negotiating treaties by bypassing the State Department. Sound like Trump’s son-in-law selling Visas for $500,000 a piece to wealthy Chinese people, and other questionable conflict of interests. The Babcock was accused in the Whiskey Ring Scandal of 1875, was a tax revenues conspiracy involving government agents, politicians, whiskey distillers, and

It’s time for payback. Now is the time for President Obama to repay the wage slaves for the money and support given to him when he ran for election and re-election. All the unions were asking was just the tools to work with, such as card check. For the federal contract workers at the U.S. Capital and other high profile locations in Washington, like the parks, museum and zoo workers, have the right to fight for collective bargaining rights and to obtain higher wages. President Obama should use his executive power for a higher minimum wage than $10.10 an hour, more like $15 to $18 an hour. Also, the President should change the classification of Federal employees who fight wildland fire to wildland firefighters with the pay that is fitting, such as California Department of Forestry firefighters receive. Then the President should make good on his promise to the people who have come here for work or a better, safer life, and quit deporting them and splitting up their families. These people

What do the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) and the $15 to $16 an hour have in common? Some of things, I see, are the education of the young activists, who are discovering that their fight has been fought before, and will always have to be fought. The inequality of good wages and standard of living is now wider than in past years. The fight is never ending. It is like the country of Holland fighting the sea to keep it back. They can never rest, and the Dutch accept the fight as a way of life f or the alternative is the end of life as they know it. This is the mentality our young wage slaves must learn in order to survive in the employment world. The fight is a very long and never ending one. When we let up on this fight, we end up where we are today, fighting our way out of the gutters once again. The Occupy movement was just round one and a winner for the wage slaves because it gave people a confidence boost and education, which started a conversation on what is wrong with the USA and the

The oligarchies are on the run. We need to keep the pressure on all fronts and it looks like with the election win for the wage slaves that there is an awakening and some of the tactics are of the old revised IWW tactics, which is power of the people, such as the Black Friday Walmart wage slave walkout and a big surprise of the 50,000 fast food workers in New York City. This could not only be an awakening, but the tipping point for organizing wage slaves in all retail jobs for a worker should be able to buy what they sell or be able to buy food they sell to others. If you don’t make enough money then you must depend on food stamps. We worker wage slaves are subsidizing the money people we work for by the low wages that we accept for our labor. We sell our lives one hour at a time for not even substitute wages just to make the 1% richer and richer. I think the tide is about to change and we all 99% must put aside all native thinking and support each other for 99% will beat the 1%. Jus

Unions have begun organizing Walmart and this is a fight worth fighting, and if it is won all others will fall like dominos. It looks like the Walmart organizing effort was well planned. The Art of War says the Army who attacks can pick their time, in this case right before the holidays and the presidential election, and the places, stores, where workers are needed for the holiday hours. Other companies will not help, but will be happy to take Walmart’s customers and business. Knowing this, Walmart corporate leaders, threatened with a strike on Black Friday, are talking to themselves about whether to raise wages or bring in more part-time workers. The workers have nothing to lose. They are already at the bottom of the economic ladder: no healthcare, no pension, no job security and the only power they have are their feet, and the solidarity of other wage slaves and unions. Now is the time for a full court press from all wage slaves to support the Walmart workers in the streets and with